When I think back to my early 20s it’s a little scary to think how little I knew about life. It’s a wonder I made it this far without falling into any major, irreversible pitfalls. Now that I’ve made it a half-century into the future from those perilous days I’d like to think that I’ve accumulated at least some wisdom. But wisdom kept to oneself is largely wasted if it’s not shared. So, for what it is worth to you, here are a few nuggets I hope you can use or maybe pass on to someone you love.
1. Don’t just work hard—work smart.
2. Find and prepare for a vocation you are passionate about and well-suited for.
3. Don’t just work for the money. Work to make a difference.
4. Don’t allow debt to rule you. Remember: “The borrower is slave to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7
5. Get out of debt and stay out. Albert Einstein said, “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn’t, pays it.”
6. Putting stuff on your credit card and not paying it off each month is robbing from the future paychecks you’re going to need.
7. Invest your life in your relationships: God, spouse, children, grandchildren, and good, relationally healthy friends.
8. Remember that some relationships have an expiration date. Choose wisely.
9. Balance your work–rest life. Getting off balance either way isn’t healthy. The great motivational speaker and author, Zig Ziglar (who also happened to be my mother’s adult Sunday School teacher) wisely said, “The person who earns a million but destroys their health in the process is not really a success.”
10. Start preparing for retirement when you’re young. If you’re older but haven’t begun to prepare, start now anyway. The power of time and compounding are both on your side the earlier you start. The more prepared you are later in life, the more options you will have, whether retiring altogether or just changing careers because you want to and you can afford to. Financial freedom and flexibility are beautiful things, especially later in life.
11. Play the long game.
12. Marry well. Marry smart. Marry for the long haul.
13. Spend more time interacting with people you care for than you do with a screen.
14. Commune with God regularly.
15. Treasure and nurture your family relationships.
16. Remember that the seeds you sow in your family now will, to a great degree, be the kind of fruit future generations bear—a substantial but honorable responsibility.
17. Get into a church that feeds you and your family generously.
18. Be generous with those you love and those in genuine need.
19. Always remember: Life is a vapor. Carpe Diem.
20. Practice daily the two greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Jesus.
Rod Robison is a Tucson, Arizona based author, magician, mentalist, and inspirational speaker. His book The Magic of Cultivating Positive Emotions: Four Powerful Secrets Mentalists Use to Influence Thoughts and How You Can Use Them to Improve Your Emotional Health is receiving five star reviews including this from a reader and audience member.
“Rod absolutely blew us away with his presentation to our group this week. He was so good that I got this book and it truly amplifies all the excellence of his message. Buy the book and then book him as your next speaker. You’ll be astounded by his performance and transformed by his wisdom!”Available at www.TucsonMagician.com/books
